Morris man charged with DUI in I-80 accident

July 19, 2009

A 29-year-old Morris man was charged with drunken driving after he allegedly forced another vehicle off Interstate Highway 80 in far southwest suburban Morris Township and caused an accident that required one person to be airlifted.

Jason Smith of the 1300 block of Susan Circle is expected to go before a Grundy County judge Monday after being charged with driving under the influence, said Illinois State Police Master Sgt. John Rattigan. A draw of Smith's blood revealed he was drunk at the time of the accident, Rattigan said.

Smith was driving westbound on I-80 in a Ford Explorer SUV near Briscoe Drive in unincorporated Morris Township when he struck the rear of a Ford F-250 pickup truck about 5:24 a.m., Rattigan said.

The impact caused the pickup truck to lose control and run off the road and into a ditch where it struck a tree. Smith's SUV also lost control, went into the same ditch and rolled over, Rattigan said. A passenger in Smith's SUV was ejected from the vehicle, Rattigan said.

All three of the people in the accident were sent to a local hospital, with Smith's passenger sustaining the most serious injury. That passenger was transported in serious condition by helicopter to a hospital in Peoria, Rattigan said.

Along with the state police, Grundy County Sheriff's and Morris police and fire departments responded.